Mobius Monthly Newsletter

March 2018

Though many of us have yet to see it outside our window, Spring has arrived and with it, signs of renewal and fresh beginnings. In this March edition of the newsletter, we share illuminating and inspiring thinking on how we bring forth the new and emergent possibilities in ourselves and in our clients’ systems. There is a deep and timely resonance between what each of our showcased thought leaders (Erica Ariel Fox, Otto Scharmer, John Gerzema and Nilima Bhat) share as the key practices and qualities required for integration and healing.

For those wishing to join us or curious to learn more about the Annual Gathering of the Next Practice Institute, let us invite you to visit our website where you can download the brochure, explore resources from previous Gatherings, and access this year’s program. NPI includes week-long learning intensives which range from intra and interpersonal themes such as team coaching, somatic leadership and embodied imagination, to working with complexity and systemic change across large organizational transformations.

We encourage you to register before midnight Saturday 31 March to avail of the Early Bird discount.

“Each of us needs to discover and then call upon the parts of overselves that we have overlooked”

In this one-hour podcast Lonnie Mayne talks with Erica about what it means to be an authentic, inspiring and “bigger” version of ourselves. The Winning from Within® methodology, which Erica set out in her New York Times bestseller, has proved a powerful map of our inner lives, helping senior leaders around the world to tap into neglected aspects of themselves. In the business world we often suffer from a painful imbalance where the Thinker and the Warrior run the show. We over-index on spreadsheet analyses and neglect how our decisions affect others; we execute relentlessly, losing sight of our biggest dreams for ourselves, our teams and the world around us. This podcast is an excellent guide to the different sources of wisdom we carry within us, what Erica calls the Big Four, and the aspects of ourselves we can call upon to observe our own tendencies; find a healthier, more sustainable balance; and begin to view our lives and our work as the ongoing journey that it is. We recommend the podcast as both as a refresher for those working with the Winning from Within® methodology and as an engaging introduction.

What do abandoned tin cans from a destroyed factory in Japan, gathered up by people in the wake of the tsunami, have to do with accessing the feminine within us all? In this fascinating 15-minute TED talksociologist John Gerzema shares the research behind The Athena Doctrine, where in response to catastrophes, we embrace “feminine” values to find innovative and inclusive solutions. Earlier this month the world celebrated International Women’s Day, to mark that we highly recommend this compelling story about how people around the world have identified what works and what does not in solving today’s problems, and why the answer is essentially feminine. This is not about gender superiority, but rather how we all – men and women alike – access those qualities that have been lacking in the world. Watch the video here.

Ten years ago, Otto Scharmer, senior lecturer at M.I.T. and Mobius Senior Expert, wrote his ground-breaking book,Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges. In it he explains how to get unstuck from the world’s great quagmires including climate change, terrorism and poverty. In the preface to his latest book, released last week, Otto writes that his publisher approached him to say: “ ‘Why don’t you, for a change, write a book that is readable – shorter, more accessible, and updated?’ I probably seemed quite offended. When he saw that, he quickly pointed out how a couple of authors whom I happen to admire, had done what he was suggesting: First, write comprehensively about what you have invented, and then in the next book explain it in a more accessible way.” Otto’s new book The Essentials of Theory U: Core Principles and Applications, does exactly that, demonstrating in practical terms how we create new ways of seeing, thinking and behaving to create the future that wants to be born. Visit Next Practice Resources to watch Otto’s keynote talk on Theory U at our inaugural Next Practice Institute, to download a two-page overview of how the process works, and for access to his latest book.

This 50-minute talk is a companion to the book Shakti Leadership: Embracing Feminine and Masculine Power in Business written by Nilima Bhat and Raj Sisodia, cofounder of Conscious Capitalism. In her keynote address at last year’s Next Practice Institute, Nilima gave an inspired and energizing tour through the big ideas behind Shakti Leadership including: masculine and feminine power traits and how these relate to four basic archetypes operating within each of us. Nilima then illustrated how to diagnose, balance and integrate how we exercise power. A very colorful conversation about balance and how we can heal ourselves to respond to the systemic challenges facing the world. In this talk watch out for the “Wise Fool of Tough Love” which offers another route into the Winning from Within® Big Four map. Throughout 2018 we are releasing keynote talks representing emerging voices, distinguished thought leaders and pioneering experts in the field of transformational leadership who inspire and advance our learning. For the rest of the series, click here.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Please visit our website for the calendar of upcoming learning events and other professional development opportunities. To register for the Next Practice Institute Annual Gathering and to learn more about it, visit 2018 Annual Gathering.